Ehh.. depends where you're applying, IMO. I'm no expert on how to get into a good school, but it comes off as sounding like you couldn't resist the temptation of being paid to party (hell, I don't blame you at all) which isn't intrinsically a bad thing.. but without some good explanation(s) on that decision, it's likely to be a ding on your Tier-1 schools, your LSAT+UGPA notwithstanding of course.

sethc wrote:Ehh.. depends where you're applying, IMO. I'm no expert on how to get into a good school, but it comes off as sounding like you couldn't resist the temptation of being paid to party (hell, I don't blame you at all) which isn't intrinsically a bad thing.. but without some good explanation(s) on that decision, it's likely to be a ding on your Tier-1 schools, your LSAT+UGPA notwithstanding of course.

+1. I really couldn't understand what you were referencing in your addendum. I think you should come off extremely clear about what you are trying to convey about taking a semester off.

WinterIsComing wrote:Several applications require an explanation for any interruption in post-secondary education, so I figured that it might make sense to extend that explanation to all schools. Nothing negative came of the experience. If anything, it exposed me to a foreign landscape and culture while forcing me to realize the value of education.

GPA 3.94, LSAT between or above 25%-75% at serious prospects, and below 25% at reaches.

Maybe you could say "a television station" instead of MTV? Then it sounds more like it could have been the Travel Channel or something, and it's not lying. I just think that including MTV in the addendum sounds like a party or gives a negative perception.

WinterIsComing wrote:Several applications require an explanation for any interruption in post-secondary education, so I figured that it might make sense to extend that explanation to all schools. Nothing negative came of the experience. If anything, it exposed me to a foreign landscape and culture while forcing me to realize the value of education.

GPA 3.94, LSAT between or above 25%-75% at serious prospects, and below 25% at reaches.

Then talk about it that way. Spin it as a positive wonderful experience where you got to round yourself into a more complete person. Talk about it the same way you would a semester long backpacking trip through asia or europe or whatever, not as something you need to apologize for.

Clearly it wasn't detrimental to your grades so don't sweat it. BTW I would have gone to class entire 1L year in just an adult diaper for your GPA

i don't see why you need to bring up the whole scholly thing. It comes off too apologetic, IMO. Just say you got offered to do a reality TV show, and you thought it was a unique opportunity to learn about the media and popular culture or some bs. I donno, spin it someway and stand by your decision. You're still explaining the leave of absence but putting it in a positive light instead of a negative one.

In August of 2005, a television station offered me the opportunity to participate in a nationally broadcasted reality show. This experience allowed me an insider’s view of how media generates the television programming for popular culture. In addition, it granted me the opportunity to experience a foreign landscape and unknown culture. Having grown up in the desert, the lush landscape and breathtaking coastal scenes enamored me. Wallabies and bats invaded at nightfall, and one night a bat flew down from a tree outside the bathroom and collided with my head. The culture within this landscape impressed me by closing all their local shops at evening’s dusk. The thought of all the lost profit immediately alarmed me, but in that alarm, I took a moment to remove my lens of capitalistic perception and realized the benefits beyond a few hours profit. My time on the television show gifted me with new perspectives about the demands of a functioning society on its people as well as the beauty one finds in diversity.This unique opportunity required me to be free for an undefined amount of time in order to travel to Australia for these experiences. As a result, I acquired a leave of absence for the fall of 2005.

Way too flowery of language for an addendum. Get rid of what I crossed out, it sounds like it should be in a PS and not in an addendum. I think the rest will suffice well.